Jul 25, 2011 - 4:53 PMAll are progressing well, but a local fountain in Alcàsser has been closed

The regional health councillor announced the closure of a water fountain in Alcàsser, in the south of Valencia province, on Monday after 10 cases of Legionnaire’s Disease were detected on Friday.

Five of the ten were admitted to hospital, although it’s understood that the only patient who had to be admitted to Intensive Care has now been transferred to the wards. All five are said to be making good progress at the Doctor Peset Hospital in Valencia City.

Health councillor Luis Rosado told Europa Press that the fountain has been closed as a first measure while investigations continue to confirm it as the source of the outbreak or other possible origins of the infection.

25 de jul de 2011

HOTEL IN SCOTLAND CLOSES SPA AFTER ILLNESS REPORTED ==================================================================A hotel in Scotland closed its an indoor heated pool and spa and other "leisure club" facilities in March after employees and guests reported flu-like symptoms. One person was hospitalized with confirmed Legionnaires' disease. In all, 112 people contracted a flu-like illness with respiratory infection.LEGIONNAIRES' IN LAS VEGAS HOTEL GUESTS ==================================================================Legionnaires' disease was reported in guests of a hotel on the Las Vegas strip this month. Health officials investigated the same hotel last year after reports of the disease. Legionella was found in the hot water system in several guest rooms.COOLING TOWER INVESTIGATED IN THREE CASES IN NEW ZEALAND ==================================================================Three New Zealand men who worked near one another contracted Legionnaires' disease in April. Health officials focused their investigation on cooling towers.THREE CASES AT A CLEVELAND NURSING AND REHAB FACILITY ==================================================================Three residents of a Cleveland nursing and rehab facility were hospitalized with Legionnaires' disease in June. The facility provided bottled drinking water and restricted showers until the water system was disinfected.

24 de jul de 2011

A doctor said two Arizona college students appeared to have caught Pontiac fever after the couple stayed at Aria just after the period when patrons were warned they may have been exposed to the bacterium that causes the fever and its more serious cousin, Legionnaires' disease.Pontiac fever is caused by the same type of Legionella bacteria as Legionnaires' disease. The symptoms of Pontiac fever usually last two to five days and include fever, headaches and muscle aches; however, there is no pneumonia as there is with Legionnaires' disease. Symptoms go away on their own without treatment and without causing further problems. The fever and Legionnaires' disease may also be called "Legionellosis""If we were older and not in good health, I hate to think what could have happened," Dougherty said. "There should probably be thousands more people getting notification letters warning them to see doctors if they get certain symptoms."On July 14, Southern Nevada Health District officials said former Aria guests who stayed at the hotel from June 21 to July 4 could have been exposed to the sometimes fatal Legionnaires' bacteria which has infected six former hotel guests. Though the Aria cases stretch back almost to the Dec. 16, 2009, grand opening of the 4,000-room hotel, officials said they only needed to notify guests who stayed during the two-week period.

20 de jul de 2011

Ecolab Inc. (ECL), the largest maker of cleaning chemicals for hotels and restaurants, agreed to acquire Nalco Holding Co. (NLC) for $5.4 billion in cash and stock to add industrial water-treatment services.

Ecolab is offering $38.80 a share or 0.7005 of a share for each Nalco share, St. Paul, Minnesota-based Ecolab said today in a statement. Ecolab will use about $1.6 billion in cash and issue about 68.9 million shares to pay for the deal. The bid is 34 percent above Nalco’s closing share price yesterday on the New York Stock Exchange.

Chief Executive Officer Douglas M. Baker is diversifying Ecolab’s base of food-service, hotel and health-care customers with water-treatment sales to energy and industrial companies. The acquisition will help Ecolab expand in a world where 40 percent of the population will be living in water-scarce regions by 2025, Baker said on a conference call.

“It positions us very well to meet the increasing demand for water and the water-scarcity challenges that the world is going to face,” Baker, 52, said on the call.

Nalco is defending itself against lawsuits related to the use of its Corexit dispersant to help clean up the oil spill from BP Plc’s Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico last year. Baker said BP has provided Naperville, Illinois-based Nalco with “very strong” indemnification against the claims.

Prior Discussions

Nalco CEO Erik Fyrwald, who will continue to run Nalco units after the merger, said on the call the decision to merge evolved from discussions with Baker about potential collaborations. He declined to say whether he sought competing bids.

Nalco rose $7, or 24 percent, to $35.87 at 4:15 p.m. in New York trading. The shares dropped 9.6 percent this year before today. Ecolab fell $4.08, or 7.4 percent, to $51.31, the biggest drop since December 2008.

“The acquisition would shift Ecolab’s center of gravity towards industrial end markets and away from the restaurant and lodging exposure that investors discuss most often,” Laurence Alexander, a New York-based analyst at Jefferies & Co. who rates both companies “hold,” said today in a report.

Ecolab has indentified $150 million of cost savings from the combination, which was unanimously approved by both companies’ boards. The takeover will add 10 cents to earnings per share in 2012 and “significantly more” in subsequent years, Baker said. Adjusted earnings next year will be about $3 a share for the merged companies, a figure Baker called “conservative.” The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter, subject to approval by regulators and Nalco investors.

Total Sales

Combined revenue of $11 billion will grow at the upper end of the 6 percent to 8 percent rate that is forecast by both companies, Baker said.

“We expect stronger growth than either company can achieve individually,” Baker said, estimating $500 million in additional annual sales growth from the merger.

The transaction is valued at $8.1 billion, including assumption of $2.7 billion of net debt. Ecolab will refinance Nalco’s debt at a 3.5 percent blended rate including costs, and incremental interest will be about $165 million, Chief Financial Officer Steven L. Fritze said on the call. The combined company will have investment-grade credit ratings, he said.

Moody’s Investors Service, which rates Nalco’s debt Ba2, two levels below investment grade, said it may raise the rating because of the merger. Ecolab, which is rated A2, five levels above junk, may be downgraded, Moody’s said.

Ecolab, the disinfectants maker, is near a deal to buy the water treatment company Nalco Holding for about $5 billion, a person briefed on the matter said on Tuesday.

Shares in Nalco closed on Tuesday at $28.87, giving it a market value of about $4 billion. Ecolab is expected to also assume Nalco’s long-term debt, putting an enterprise value on the deal of close to $8 billion.

A deal is expected to be announced as soon as Wednesday, though final details had yet to be ironed out and the talks could still fall apart, this person cautioned.

Representatives for Ecolab and Nalco were not immediately available for comment.

Should it succeed in buying Nalco Holding, Ecolab would gain an 83-year-old company specializing in treating the waste generated by industrial companies. Nalco, born of a 1928 merger of two water-treament companies, has grown into a major player in industrial waste treatment.

Among the company’s best-known products is Corexit 9500, an oil dispersant that was used to help clean up the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico last year.

In 2010, Nalco reported $196.2 million in net income on revenue of nearly $4.3 billion. Its shares have risen 27 percent in the last year.

A Nalco deal would be the largest ever by Ecolab, which makes cleaning products for customers in a broad range of industries, including the restaurant, hospitality and health care sectors. It reported $530.3 million in profit last year and about $6.1 billion in revenue.

The 88-year-old Ecolab, based in St. Paul, Minn., has 26,494 employees.

Ecolab would only be the latest owner for Nalco, which was purchased by Suez of France and then a buyout consortium consisting of the Blackstone Group, Apollo Management and Goldman Sachs’s private equity arm. Nalco returned to the public markets in 2004.

News of the potential deal was reported earlier by The Wall Street Journal online.

15 de jul de 2011

(CBS/AP) A Legionnaires' disease outbreak has been reported at a popular Las Vegas hotel. It's prompted officials to warn guests who stayed this summer that they might be at risk to develop the potentially deadly disease.

The Aria Resort & Casino, located on the Las Vegas Strip, told guests who stayed during a two week period between June 21 and July 4 that they may have been exposed to high levels of disease-causing legionella bacteria.

A spokeswoman for the Southern Nevada Health District, Stephanie Bethel, said Thursday that CDC scientists confirmed six cases of the potentially lethal form of pneumonia among guests. She says all six people were treated and have recovered.

How can hotel guests catch Legionnaire's? By inhaling legionella bacteria that grows in hot tubs, air conditioners, and decorative fountains.

In a letter to guests, the hotel said that it treated the tainted water source and latest tests show no detectible bacteria levels.

But those that stayed during the two week period may still be at risk - symptoms can show up as long as 14 days after exposure to bacteria. Who's most at risk? People with weakened immune systems like the elderly and smokers. Symptoms like headache, muscle pain, chills, and fever present early - but infected people eventually experience a phlegm-heavy cough, chest pain, fatigue, vomiting, diarrhea, and mental changes like confusion. In some cases, Legionnaire's can result in fatal complications like respiratory and kidney failure, and septic shock. If you think you've been exposed to legionella bacteria, see a doctor, who will prescribe antibiotics.

14 de jul de 2011

Important Facts About Legionella: •Legionella is naturally occurring in nature, found in most water supplies and only causes illness when breathed in as a mist or vapor. •Most people exposed to Legionella do not get sick. •Legionella can cause a respiratory illness similar to pneumonia. Most cases can be successfully treated with antibiotics. •Symptoms of Legionellosis can include high fever, chills, cough, fatigue, muscle aches and headaches. •Symptoms usually begin 2 to 14 days after being exposed to the bacteria. •Some people in certain categories can be at higher risk of infection due to a chronic illness, respiratory disease, or compromised immune system or if they are a smoker or elderly. •Most cases can be treated successfully with antibiotics. Healthy people usually recover from infection. •The bacteria are NOT spread from one person to another person. You cannot catch it from another person. A person diagnosed with Legionellosis is not a threat to family members or others who share office space or other areas with him or her. •If a former guest has developed any combination of these symptoms, we encourage them to see their doctor. •Legionella is a concern for all large buildings – hotels, hospitals, schools – with large common water systems. •ARIA has an ongoing, comprehensive water management program in place, which includes regular testing for Legionella. After recent elevated test results, ARIA implemented additional precautionary measures – superheating and chemical treatment of water systems. •Most recent test results show no detectible level of active Legionella present in any of the locations tested. We continue to work with the Southern Nevada Health District to monitor ongoing test results. •Additional information on Legionella is available on the Southern Nevada Health District website, www.SNHD.info, or by calling the Health District's information line, (702) 759-INFO (4636) or toll free (866) 767-5038.

Frequently Asked Questions: 1.What should I do if I recently stayed at or visited ARIA and have illness symptoms?If you start to feel ill, contact a doctor. If your doctor feels it is necessary, they may run a test to determine the cause of any illness and if it is from Legionella. Most healthy people are successfully treated for Legionellosis with antibiotics.

2.What precautionary measures do you have in place so that this doesn't happen again?ARIA has a comprehensive water management program in place, which includes regular testing for Legionella. After recent elevated test results, ARIA implemented additional precautionary measures including superheating and chemical treatment of water systems.

Most recent test results at ARIA show no detectible level of active Legionella present in any of the locations tested. We continue to work closely with the Southern Nevada Health District to monitor ongoing test results.

Water features and Air Conditioning systems at ARIA have been tested and produced clean results.

3.Where can I go for more information about Legionnaires' disease?Contact your doctor or the Southern Nevada Health District website at http://www.southernnevadahealthdistrict.org/health-topics/legionellosis.php, or by calling the Health District's information line, (702) 759-INFO (4636) or toll free at (866) 767-5038.

4.Is Legionnaires' disease contagious?The bacteria are NOT spread from one person to another person. You cannot catch it from another person. A person diagnosed with Legionellosis is not a threat to family members or others who share office space or other areas with him or her.

5.Do you know which rooms were contaminated?We are aware that several guest rooms registered elevated levels of the bacteria, but testing on those rooms have since showed no reason for any concern. We have taken measures to eliminate high levels of the bacteria throughout our entire building. Results of ongoing testing shows no levels of Legionella. We will continue to work with Southern Nevada Health District to monitor and conduct future testing.

6.How many people got sick?We don't know. We have been told that a few people who got sick may have been exposed to the bacteria at ARIA. But we haven't received any complaints from customers.

7.When did these people become sick?In an abundance of caution, we are attempting to notify guests who may have been exposed to these bacteria during this short period, from June 21 to July 4.

8.Was the elevated bacteria found at other hotels on the City Center campus such as Vdara or Mandarin? No the elevated results were only found at the ARIA Resort and Casino. Current tests at ARIA show no elevated levels of the bacteria.

9.Who can I call at ARIA for questions regarding this notice?Please call 1-877-326-ARIA (2742) to speak directly with our staff about this issue.

Six guests from Las Vegas’ ARIA Resort have reported contracting Legionnaire’s Disease since the hotel’s opening in 2009. Currently, the hotel and South Nevada Health District are contacting 18,000 guests that could have potentially come in contact with legionella, the bacteria that causes Legionnaire’s Disease.

The six guests who reported having Legionnaire’s Disease stayed at the hotel between December 2009 and April 2011. All 18,000 guests will be notified. According to MGM Resorts International the water was tested between June 21 and July 4 and elevated levels of legionella was found.

According to Gordon Absher from MGM Resorts International all guests are being notified as a sign of caution in the case that within that time period other residents came into contact with the bacteria. The six guests that did report contraction Legionnaire’s Disease have all be treated and recovered.

Absher stated that testing was done again after July 4 and no legionella was found.

Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) - Guests of the Aria Resort who stayed there between June 21 and July 4, are being notified that water tests in that time period detected elevated levels of Legionella bacteria in several of the guest rooms. This time period includes two weekends that were very busy for the hotel: the weekend of the Electric Daisy Carnival and the Fourth of July holiday.

The Southern Nevada Health District recently reported a few instances of guests who visited the Aria, were diagnosed with, treated for, and recovered from the disease, which is a form of pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria.

The Aria said they are notifying all guests who may have been exposed to the bacteria in that time period just to be cautious.

The hotel also said that all subsequent tests have come back with no detectable levels of active Legionella.

12 de jul de 2011

ATLANTA—A proposed standard practice that specifies requirements to prevent legionellosis associated with building water systems is currently open for public review from ASHRAE.

The bacterium Legionella can lead to a very serious form of pneumonia, referred to as Legionnaires’ disease, or Pontiac fever, which is a less severe form of the disease. There are many thousands of cases every year in the U.S. Essentially all cases of legionellosis are the result of exposure to Legionella associated with building water systems.

ASHRAE Standard 188P, Prevention of Legionellosis Associated with Building Water Systems, is intended to address the “what” of controlling the spread of legionellosis. The standard helps facility managers/owners understand how to apply the available information on Legionella effectively in order to prevent cases of legionellosis associated with building water systems.

“We know how to analyze and control this hazard,” Bill McCoy, chair of the Standard 188P committee, said. “We need a standardized practice to specify for facility managers/owners exactly what to do in their facilities to control the hazard in a systematic and scientifically defensible way.”

The proposed standard underwent an earlier public review in November 2010 and is currently open for a second public review until July 25. For more information, visit www.ashrae.org/publicreviews.

Since the standard’s first public review, Section 8.1 on potable water has been rewritten. Originally, the section included several system design specifications; however, those design-oriented specifications were eliminated because Standard 188P is intended to be a practices standard, rather than a design standard. The newly revised Section 8 clarifies this aspect.

Compliance with the standard requires facility managers/owners to formally take responsibility for controlling Legionella in their building water systems, while at the same time acts as a defense against accusations of negligence in those cases which are caused by the hazard from unknown sources.

Standard 188P also covers the potable water system in buildings, which are not treated as often as cooling towers, and will hold facility managers/owners accountable for properly managing the entire building water system both potable and utility water.

Of course, the ultimate goal of Standard 188P is to reduce the spread of fatal disease.

The standard differs from ASHRAE Guideline 12, Minimizing the Risk of Legionellosis Associated with Building Water Systems, in that while the guideline gives recommendations about how to treat various building water systems, the standard specifies the practice of exactly what must be done with all those recommendations.

RUN-DOWN schools must be checked for the dangerous legionella bug, a council has agreed.

Lambeth council plans to spend £237,000 investigating the risk at two primaries, and at its town hall in Brixton Hill.

The warning about the bug, which can lead to legionnaires’ disease – a form of bacterial pneumonia that can prove fatal – was issued by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which demanded action last year.

The Government safety watchdog highlighted the problem at Glenbrook Primary School in Clarence Avenue, Streatham, on May 10, 2010.

On the same day, an “improvement notice” was issued over safety at Herbert Morrison Primary School in Hartington Road, Stockwell.

Indoor air quality is one of the top five environmental risks to public health, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. To help protect workers from harmful indoor air, OSHA has developed a new booklet for employers.Indoor Air Quality in Commercial and Institutional Buildings offers recommendations to prevent or minimize indoor air quality problems. With workers spending 40 hours or more a week in certain work settings, OSHA notes that some experts believe more people may suffer from the effects of indoor air pollution than outdoor air pollution.

Failure to respond to indoor air problems can lead to many adverse health consequences. Symptoms may include irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat; headaches; dizziness; and rashes. Muscle pain and fatigue and can easily be mistaken for other illnesses.

Additionally, poor indoor air can be linked to asthma and hypersensitivity pneumonitis, according to OSHA. Long-term effects of poor indoor air quality may include respiratory diseases, heart disease, and cancer.

Persistent dampness is especially problematic for workers. In addition, flaws in building design and inadequate routine preventive maintenance of building enclosures, plumbing, and HVAC systems can be sources of poor indoor air. OSHA recommends regular preventive maintenance to ensure systems are operating properly.

The booklet outlines steps employers can take to improve indoor air quality. Maintaining a good working relationship with building management on indoor environmental issues is one. Another is placing office furniture and equipment in areas based on the adequate air circulation, temperature control, and pollutant removal functions of the HVAC system.

OSHA also suggests integrating indoor air quality concerns into purchasing decisions and working with building management and the contractor before starting to remodel or renovate to identify ways of minimizing building-occupant exposure.